ATC is Moving

We’re MOVING!

Thanks to YOUR support we will be relocating December 2018!

To our upcoming appointments: We are grateful for your patience as we make this transition.  We will do our best to keep all appointments informed and as scheduled. Please keep in mind the artists and shop have no control over how long the necessary permits and licensing will take, and therefore we are unable to plan around specific dates. If you end up at the wrong location, fret not! We are only a block away!

 *Check back soon for the latest updates*

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We’ll miss you 2839…but not too much!

You may have noticed it’s getting crowded around the shop.  We’ve been busting at the seams in the cozy space we started at just 3 years ago!  But, thanks to all of your loyal support and patronage, we’re expanding!

From our beloved 950 sq ft at 2839 Cherokee, we’ve grown to an exciting 3000+ sq ft location; and we’ll be just a block down the street still on Cherokee!

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The Cinderella Building
2739 Cherokee Street

The Cinderella Building has been under renovations over the last year, thanks to WJL properties. Every detail has been considered with great care and respect for its historical value. From the tin ceilings, to the molded plaster, we think this beautiful piece of architecture is well deserving of its fairytale namesake, and we can’t wait to make her home!

To read more about the history, check out this article from the RFT.

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The renovations

We can’t wait to get settled in and have you all out to celebrate our new home! Thank you sincerely for supporting us through this journey, we couldn’t have done it without you. <3

-Alchemy Tattoo Collective

Artist Updates

In case you missed it, we have had the good fortune of tattooer and entrepreneur LT Woods joining our crew!  L.T. was not only the creative force behind St. Louis's first Tattoo The Lou Convention, he is a world traveler and renowned tattoo artist with 16 years in the industry.  His illustrative and dynamic style has been recognized with awards and featured in publications such as Prick Magazine in 2012, as well as Tattoo Society and Taboo Magazine. LT has tattooed at prestigious shops around the world including Artistic Element, Ink and Dagger and Studio 13.  Needless to say, we are humbled and honored to have his presence at the shop.

In other exciting news, our own Jessie Langs is going to be leading a class at for the Pulitzer Arts Foundation!  The Botanical Art program will showcase the life's work of Ruth Asawa and Lola Alvarez Bravo, while Jessie takes participants through her process of botanical life drawing.  The class will soon be listed on the schedule for October 13th 2018, so mark your calendar!  We will update you when sign up begins, so make sure you subscribe to our blog down  below.

Alchemy Tattoo Collective, and Jessie specifically, was also mentioned in Alive Magazine last month! What an honor! 

Oh, and don't forget, this month brings another Friday the 13th tattoo special!  With it, we will be trying a new approach to bring you fun designs at discounted rates.  So stay tuned!!

We couldn't be more proud and excited for what this collective has done so far and where it is going.  Of course, we couldn't have done any of it without all of your loyal support and patronage!!  Let us know what you want to hear from us or what you would like to see more of.  We love hearing from you, and thank you sincerely!

Why You Should Leave Your Family at Home for Your Tattoo

We get it, getting a tattoo can be super exciting and fun, and even anxiety-inducing.  So, it makes sense to bring all of your best mates and family to your tattoo appointment, right? It never hurts to have reinforcements, does it?  Unfortunately, it does.  Bringing people to your appointment is usually not the great idea it may seem at first.  While getting tattooed can be an important milestone for people, it is usually best done alone.  Too many people can be distracting to both the artist and the client and result in a less than perfect tattoo experience.  

The application of the tattoo takes the artist a great deal of concentration. They are focusing on the depth and speed at which many tiny needles are puncturing the skin, and as you would expect, accuracy is important.  Space is often limited in tattoo shops, and just like any technician operating a machine, it is best to have space and concentrated focus.  Having a lot of people walking in and out and around the area can be a big distraction, and there is usually not a lot of seating in the tattoo area to begin with.  Clients interact with their guests, and not surprisingly, when people talk, it moves the rest of their body, including the area getting tattooed.  Especially if you use gestures (as most people subconsciously do).  Imagine having to write a perfect, permanent letter in your best cursive while resting your paper on your friends back; that is what it is like to tattoo on someone even if they are holding still!   If you stop your pen for just a second, you have disrupted the flow of the line.  Friends often make us laugh, so imagine writing a letter on someone who is laughing and gesturing and moving their hands.  It sounds like a terrible idea, right?  

A lot of people in the shop can also distract the client, but not in a way that decreases pain.  On the contrary, one of the best ways to manage pain while getting tattooed, or being in any pain really, is by intensely focusing on your breathing and finding a state of relaxation and calm.  This is why pregnant women learn "lamaze" breathing, and why half of the eight examples in Harvard Health Publishing article, "8 non-invasive pain relief techniques that really work", involve breath and relaxation techniques.  Having friends and family around can prevent clients from "getting in the zone" and managing the pain in an effective way.  It can even make the pain seem more intense.  Being around more people in a new and painful situation can cause more tension and resistance in the body, the opposite of what is needed.

Most shops often save space for their clients to have one guest.  As TattooNow.com points out in their article "BRINGING YOUR FRIEND TO YOUR TATTOO APPOINTMENT", one person can be a help to some clients.  If you have a partner or someone who would like to assist you in staying relaxed and wants to come along, tattooers are usually able to accommodate, and you will have someone to fetch you water.  Just make sure they can keep themselves occupied while sitting for a few hours, (hint: not children!)   

Making your tattoo a social event is no more fun than taking your friends to your hair or dentist appointment.  Some things are best done alone.  Then, when you are all done, you can go show it off to all your friends!  

Happy Tattoo Collecting!

The Alchemy of Earth Alchemy Tattoo

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The only thing constant about alchemy, is that it strives to change and become more than what it was.  Transformation requires growth and creative evolution.  So, to stay true to our namesake and to ourselves, we have some big changes happening in the coming year!

First, we will be moving into a new home!  Not to worry, we will still be on our beloved Cherokee Street; just two blocks down from our current location in the gorgeously restored Cinderella building.  Find out more about the interesting transformation she has undergone in this article from the RiverFront Times or from the St. Louis Post Dispatch.  We are convinced she will be a "perfect fit" for the growing crew at our shop.  We don't have a moving date yet, as she is still undergoing her own trasformation with renovations tailored just for us.  We plan on keeping a photo journal of the renovations so expect more on this as it progresses!

The Cinderella building on Cherokee Street.  Our future home!

Starting back with us on a temporary basis is Valencia Miller!  We are excited to have her energy back in the shop.  Schedule with her today and keep an eye out for posts of her recent work.

Valencia Miller is back!

We also now offer new services that are unique to our shop, including permanent cosmetics and next year, tattoo removal. Stay tuned for more before and afters or schedule a consultation to find out more about what we can do to help you feel your best effortlessly.  

Permanent Cosmetics Application

The shop continues to develop an apprenticeship program and as we celebrate Jessie's transition into fully licensed tattooer, we welcome Justine Cho as she starts her journey into an apprenticeship.  Follow her progress with us and sign up to be one of the first to know when she is taking appointments for free and discounted apprentice tattoos.  We will be sending out an email to our subscribers soon..

To go with our beautiful new spaces, faces and services we have decided to update our name and logo to celebrate and highlight our shop's dedication to a collective and ever-evolving mind-set.   When we expand into the new space, we will transform from "Earth Alchemy Tattoo Collective" to a more concise and focused "Alchemy Tattoo Collective."  With new logo designs comes fun new shirts and merch as well as many collaborative ideas beginning to sprout.  Starting with our first Friday the 13th Special.  More info to follow...

Keep up with all we have on the horizon by subscribing to our blog and our email list.  We can't wait to see our new ventures blossom.  Thanks for following along with us.  

Love and Gratitude, 

The Earth Alchemy Team

What do you think of the changes?  Tell us what you want to see more of, we love hearing from you!

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Artist Spotlight: Valencia, Cammeron, and Susie

We are excited to welcome Valencia Miller and Cammeron Donnelly to Earth Alchemy Tattoo!

Valencia Miller is a fine artist and tattooist that formerly owned and operated The Ink Gallery in St. Louis and has traveled the United States tattooing at both shops and conventions. Her favorite subject matter to tattoo is black and grey portraits. She has taken off running at our shop, starting out with portraits of Edgar Allen Poe and Albert Einstein.

Cammeron Donnelly is a strong traditional artist with his own flair. He enjoys traveling and has done guest spots and conventions around the world. He previously tattooed in Seattle and New Orleans before moving to St. Louis two years ago. 

We are also please to share that Susie Balloni has finished her apprenticeship and is now an officially licensed artist! She will running a special soon, so stay tuned for some fun designs! 

To schedule an appointment with any of our artists, you can contact us online or by phone at (314)899-0891.

We have done some major remodeling on the website and have some handy new features and some lovely new photos by Virginia Harold Photography. You can now pay deposits on the site (after you talk to your artist, of course). It is also easier to find past blog entries, which will be a good thing after some of our new blogs roll out. We are working on subjects such as "Preparing for your Consultation" that will address a lot of the questions we get on a daily basis.

Until next time,

Jessie.